Space

Hubble spies a spiral snowflake

The striking face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6814, whose luminous nucleus and spectacular sweeping arms, rippled with an intricate pattern of dark dust, are captured in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA;…

Hubble's journey to the center of our galaxy

Hubble's infrared vision pierced the dusty heart of our Milky Way galaxy to reveal more than half a million stars at its core. Except for a few blue, foreground stars, these myriad stars are members…

Ultrastable materials investigated in depth

Space telescope Herschel (2009-2013) allowed fascinating insight into the birth of stars. Credit: ESA Space telescope Herschel (2009-2013) allowed fascinating insight into the birth of stars. Credit: ESA Close Space holds numerous fascinating objects which…

New Orion Rising

NASA sent up its new Orion spacecraft after an epic journey of over 3,600 miles from Earth. The space program has new goals and new projects beyond our horizon. The new Orion spacecraft flew further…

Astronomy: Radio telescopes settle controversy over distance to Pleiades

Astronomers have used a worldwide network of radio telescopes to resolve a controversy over the distance to a famous star cluster -- a controversy that posed a potential challenge to scientists' basic understanding of how…

Nanodiamonds are forever: Did comet collision leave layer of nanodiamonds across Earth?

Most of North America's megafauna -- mastodons, short-faced bears, giant ground sloths, saber-toothed cats and American camels and horses -- disappeared close to 13,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene period. The cause…

Detecting neutrinos, physicists look into the heart of the sun

Using one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors on the planet, an international team of physicists including Andrea Pocar, Laura Cadonati and doctoral student Keith Otis at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report in the…

Red Planet's climate history uncovered in unique Martian meteorite

Was Mars -- now a cold, dry place -- once a warm, wet planet that sustained life? And if so, how long has it been cold and dry? Research underway at the National High Magnetic…

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope witnesses asteroid smashup

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted an eruption of dust around a young star, possibly the result of a smashup between large asteroids. This type of collision can eventually lead to the formation of planets.…